One West Tampa restaurant is embracing the future. It was one of the first restaurants in our area to join up with Uber Eats.
If you follow the sound of the sizzle it will lead you to West Tampa to a small kitchen.
“We’re a little place, but we pump out a lot of food,” says Chris Salgado.
Do they ever! El Gallo de Oro on North Armenia and West Tampa Bay Boulevard is always full at lunch. It’s run by just five people. The owners are Chris and his wife Julissa Salgado. They bought the place from her parents seven years ago.
“You know I was always persistent and thank God she gave me the opportunity and thank God her father gave me the opportunity and welcoming me into the family and also help them out with the business,” says Chris.
The restaurant has been part of the West Tampa for over 34 years. Even Chris used to come here in high school, long before he spent his morning preparing all the meat they use for lunch.
“From the minute that I got my feet wet in it I was excited,” says Chris.
That excitement translates into the delicious food he puts out every day. “Everything is made fresh. The food holds a lot more flavor. We’re trying to make sure that you feel like you’re getting abuelitas cooking from home. You know, that’s what we try to feed to everybody,” says Chris.
Food that has even big names stopping in like Carlos Beltran.
“Sometimes we have Lou Piniella. It just depends. We’ve had Bob Buckhorn come in here. We’ve had a lot of different people. It’s exciting. You never know who’s going to walk in,” says Chris.
No matter who walks in everyone gets the same 5-star treatment with a personal touch.
“We try to remember something that they eat, or their name, or their nickname. We try to remember something that makes the customer feel like they’re a little more important than anywhere else that they go,” says Chris.
Chris and Julissa say they have big plans for their future as well. Not only can you find them in West Tampa but you can also find them on Uber Eats. They’re working on new menu options as well.
Follow their Facebook page here or follow their Instagram page @elgallodeorotampa!